1994_02 The Daily Collegian February 1994

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Page 6
Tuesday, Feb. 8,1994
'Fearsome Foursome' to lead 'Dogs
The FSfQGolf team
opened its spring sea¬
son yesterday at the
Ping/Arizona Invita¬
tional
By Victor Hernandez
THECOLLEGIAN %
Fresno State golf coach Mike Watney
looks to the 1994 season with high goals arid
expectations for his team. But none more
prominent than a Western Athletic Confer¬
ence championship.
"I feel very good about this year's team
and our potential," said Watney.     -    >
Watney has reason to feel good about this
team. The Bulldogs have great depth and
experience gained from last year's team that
finished fifth in the WAC.  .
The Bulldogs will be led by 'The Fear¬
some Foursome'. This is Fresno State's top
four golfers. They comprise FSU's nucleus
and are all previous or potential All-Ameri¬
cans.
The four members who make up 'The
Fearsome Foursome,' are Joe Acosta, John
Barrington, Brian Smock and John
Bettencourt
Acosta, a junior from Visalia, was named
first-team Ail-WAC last season and was
tabbed as a second-team preseason Ail-
American before the season.
Barrington, who averaged 77.1 strokes
per round last year as a freshman, will help
lead the Bulldogs this season.
Barrington played well in the fall season,
tally three top-10 finishes and two top-fives
in just four tournaments. J"?
Smock, a junior transfer from Texas-El
Paso, placed in the top 15 in all four of the
Bulldogs' fall tournaments.
Bettencourt, a sophomore from Gilroy,
recorded three top-10 finishes and two top-
five finishes'in his first three tournaments
this past fall. >
Information Flte Photo
i All-American, Averaged 73.16 last year.
"But our team goes much deeper man j us t
four quality golfers," Watney is quick to
point out
"This years' club is very deep with all
eleven members capable of making good
contributions throughout the season."
Watney, who is entering his 16th season as
head coach, predicts Brigham Young along
with defending WAC champs University of
New Mexico to be FSU's toughest competi¬
tion on its ascent to the top. -
Fresno State is currently ranked 25th in
the nation. The team is very young, but
Watney feels very comfortable with his squad.
"Experience helps a golfer immensely
and our team has learned a lot since last
year," said Watney.
^j " I've seen' us grow from last season,
through the fall campaign, al 1 the way up to
now, and we're playing much better of late."
Antonio Castelo, a freshman from Portu¬
gal, gives the Bulldogs another talented player
in the lineup. Castelo placed 46th in the
UNLV Rebel Classjc last fall.
"Castelo was very successful in the Eu-
ropg|n amateur circuit and will provide con¬
sistency," said Watney.
A couple of other fxeshman, Yasu Am ay a
and Adam Pohll are also expected to play
well.
Jeff Richardson, Eric Mayer, David
Burroughs and John Barss will be looked
upon by Watney for stability and quality
contributions. Barss won both the NCAA
and WAC long-driving contest last year.
The team began the 1994 spring season
with the Ping/Arizona Invitational in Tuc¬
son, Arizona yesterday.
After two rounds of goli at the Randolph
Parks North Golf Course, the Bulldogs are in
fifth place with a score of 566.
Individually, Smock leads the Bulldog
pack after one day of action with a score of
140, shooting a 70 in each of the first two
rounds.
Poll is tied with four other golfers at 142
for 19th place. Acosta and Bettencourt are
one stroke behind Poll at 143 and are tied for
See FOURSOME, page 7
Wood solidifies leadoff spot
By Robbie Miner
THECOLLEGIAN
ends, will depend heavily on
whether the leadoff man will be
able to ger on base. Coach Bob
Bennett believes Wood can.
The Fresno State baseball team
may have lost the heart of their
order, but they' ve picked up some¬
one to set the table for this year's
new bombers, junior Ryan Wood.
Wood, a transfer from Kings
River College, is projected to fill in
at the leadoff position for the Fresno
State offense this year, a position
that the Bulldogs had trouble fill¬
ing all of last season.
"I've hit leadoff my whole life," ■
said Wood. "I don't get a lot of
walks, but I get my swings in and
let my teammates see a lot1 of
pitches."
Last season the Bulldogs pro¬
duced 452 runs, but 48 percent of
their run production came from the
meat of the lineup ( Todd Johnson,
Mike Roe, Brad Dandridge and
Gary Mc/tainara). With all four
players gone, FSU must find new
names to step up and pick up the
slack. Whether, names like Bill
Thrasher, Kevin Gunther and Bryan
Judice will be able to drive in runs
like those now departed FSU leg¬
ends, will depend heavily on
"He (Wood) can do things of-
good contact with the ball, and just
gives us a lot of fire power at the top
of our order with speed," said
Bennett.
If Wood can hit anything like he
did at Kings River, Bennett should
be more than pleased. As a fresh¬
man, the Redwood High School
alumnus hit .413 with 27 RBI's.
His sophomore year, Wood hit .340
and received Alt-Central Valley
and received All-Central Valley
Conference honors-for the second
straight season.
Wood realizes the jump to Divi¬
sion 1 is a difficult one, however.
"At the J.C. level you may see
one good pitcher a week. Up here
you see three good starting pitchers
in a weekend series. That's a big
difference," said Wood. /""* .
It's unlikely the junior transfer
will be able to jump right into tht>^^    y
Division 1 game and hit.400, but to
be a good leadoff hitter, it takes
more than just hitting for average.
"I just have to hit the ball on the
ground and hopefully get on base
and make things happen," said
Wood. "I'm. more proud of that
than anything else."
Just as the offense is a question
mark for the Bulldogs, the depar-
Salazar, and Mark Cruise creates a
big question mark for the defense
as well.
While "Wood doesn't pitch, his
defensive contributions should help
the pitching staff. He is expected to
play in left field.
"I think Ryaa's biggest asset is
that he's a really good defensive        V
See WOOD, page 7 -
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